Commercial Service Applications
Download the Commercial Application before your office visit.
Commercial Application (PDF)General Requirements for Nonresidential Applicants
- Application for utilities service
- House number and street address
- 3" numbers permanently affixed to facility
- Name and telephone number of contact person
- Applicable contracts for utility service
- Nonresidential utility deposit and adequate securities agreement
- Security deposit
Type of Entity
- Individual
- Corporation
- General partnership
- Limited partnership
- Limited liability company
All documents must be in the same legal name.
Additional Requirements for New Facilities
Information is needed to properly size your service(s), to calculate Security Deposits, to estimate any required aid(s)-to-construction, and to estimate maximum demand(s) for any required contracts.
Necessary items will be:
- Square footage of the building
- Easement
- Site Plan
- Approximate amps
- Estimated water requirements
- Type heating/cooling
- Type of facility - manufacturing, office, warehouse, retail, etc.
- Name and telephone number of contact person
Upgrading/Adding Load May Require
- A Utility easement
- Payment of required aid(s)-to-construction
- Request must be made by owner/account holder
- Name and phone number of a contact person
New Residential Accounts
Download the Residential Application before your office visit.
Residential Application (PDF)Requirements
New residential service may be applied for at our office, located at 300 North Nashville Avenue, Sheffield.
Deposit Policy
Sheffield City Ordinance requires a deposit for each account. The deposit is held as security for the utility bill payment. This deposit cannot be used to pay a bill unless the account is going to be closed.
If an account is closed, the deposit will be credited toward the final bill. Any remaining money will be refunded to the Customer. Deposit transfers from one Customer to another are not allowed.
Transferring Services
Transfers may occur only within the Sheffield Utilities service area, and a service charge will be added to the first bill at the new address. If payments are kept current, with no collection activity in the past 12 months, residential service may be transferred without an additional deposit. However, if payments are not kept current and collection activity has occurred, a customer may transfer the service by paying an additional deposit and the current bill in full. City ordinances do impose some limitations on transfers, service restorations, and new services.
Upon individual request and review, we will allow service to be active at both addresses for a period of 10 days for the convenience of moving and cleanup.
Service Charges
Under city ordinances, charges are made for routine and special services to recover a portion of the expense of setting up and handling new accounts. These charges are made so customers receiving the services pay for them instead of the costs being included in the base rates.
Service charges are imposed for the following: new and/or 1st-time service; transfer of existing service; accelerated service connection; reconnection charges for services interrupted for nonpayment; trips to a service address to collect payment; handling of returned checks; trips to a service address to cut on or cut off a utility at a customer's request; trips to reread inaccessible meters or rereads at a customer's request where the reading is found to be correct; and trips to test meters at a customer's request where the meter accuracy is found to be correct.
Billing & Collections
Meters are read once a month. The bill is then mailed the next business day after the read date with payment due on a fixed date thereafter, making the net amount due approximately 12 to 16 days after the meter is read.
The billing and collection procedures of Sheffield Utilities are established under guidelines mandated by federal court order for the Northern District of Alabama of 1976. The court order prohibits Sheffield Utilities from offering special treatment for individuals or groups desiring exceptions from the court-approved procedures.
Service Applications
Our customers are important to us and we look forward to serving you in a courteous and efficient manner. Here are some basic procedures we request our customers to follow:
- An application for service can be filled out electronically. If you prefer, you can contact the Service Applications Department at (256) 389-2000 or visit our office at 300 North Nashville Avenue in Sheffield, Alabama to determine what identification is required to apply for a new service.
- After the application is made, the Meter Order and other information will be forwarded to the correct department(s).
- Once your application is processed and all fees are paid we will send a crew to the site to connect your service(s). If you are applying for a new electric service you will be contacted by an Engineering Associate for an appointment to meet at the job site.
- Electric jobs will be designed by the Electrical Engineering Associate. It is the responsibility of the Associate to advise Customers of Sheffield Utilities’ Policies for new construction. This will include meter spots, pole location, line extensions, property easements, aid-to-construct costs, trimming or cutting of trees, wiring specifications for various sizes of meter bases, etc.
- Alabama State Law requires Sheffield Utilities to call the Alabama Line Locate Center for underground facilities to be located and marked. Two full working days must be allotted for this. When two full working days have expired, the Engineering Associate will check locates, get the job approved by their Supervisor, and release the job to the Electrical Superintendent for scheduling.